There's always new shtick growing in the garden for your daily dose of roughage!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Wow, we can actually agree on something...

The President signed it yesterday... he signed a bill sent to him by the Senate... yes, it's true... the first since Democrats took over Congress last January.

It was the Energy Bill, which Democrats and Republicans spent the last several months bickering about... and while in my opinion it isn't effective enough, at least it's a start in the right direction.

I'll let Peter Baker of the Washington Post elaborate further:

After a year of partisan combat and legislative stalemate, President Bush and Democratic congressional leaders came together yesterday for a holiday season consensus as they enacted legislation to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) joined President Bush for their first bill-signing ceremony with him since Democrats took over Congress in January. (By Evan Vucci -- Associated Press)

"The legislation I'm about to sign should say to the American people that we can find common ground on critical issues," Bush said with Pelosi, Reid and other Democrats at his side during the event at the Energy Department headquarters. "And there's more we can accomplish together."

The rare show of solidarity followed a year of clashes over the war in Iraq, children's health care, spending priorities and other issues. Bush has vetoed six bills this year, compared with the one veto he issued during his first six years in office when Republicans controlled one or both chambers of Congress. Democrats have complained bitterly that he does not accept the mandate they claimed after last year's midterm elections. But along the way, many Americans have grown disenchanted with the Washington impasse, and public support for Congress has fallen to levels as low or lower than that for Bush.

Even the energy legislation that Bush signed yesterday emerged only after a stare-down over $21 billion in tax increases that lawmakers had included until the president threatened to veto if they did not remove them. But by the time they showed up for the ceremony, both sides were focused on the areas of agreement and claiming credit for pushing it through.

The new law increases the fuel-efficiency standards for passenger vehicles for the first time since 1975, requiring new cars to average 35 miles per gallon by 2020 instead of the 25 mpg now required. It also requires fuel producers to use at least 36 billion gallons of ethanol and other biofuels by 2022, a fivefold increase over the current standard, to reduce the dependence on oil. And it includes new rules and incentives to encourage greater efficiency in light bulbs and buildings.

Bush used the occasion to reach out to Pelosi and Reid. "I appreciate your leadership on this important issue," he told them. Pelosi said later that she was "pleased to join the president at the signing ceremony" and called it a harbinger of future achievements. "It did not come easily," she said during a news conference. "It took a lot of struggle, a lot of convincing. And much more needs to be done. But nothing signaled change more clearly, I think, to the American people than the successful passage of the energy legislation."

Even as they joined together, though, both sides tried to suggest that the other was the follower. Bush noted that he had proposed increasing alternative energy and fuel-efficiency standards in his State of the Union address to reduce projected gasoline consumption by 20 percent over 10 years. The alternative fuel provision that Congress ultimately passed largely tracked his proposal, although it permitted producers five extra years to meet the goal.

Bush went on to note that he called for higher fuel-efficiency standards in his speech. "The bill I'm about to sign delivers on that request," he said. But in fact, Bush proposed giving his administration the authority to set the standard for cars. "Congress should not legislate a particular numeric fuel economy standard," the White House said in a position paper at the time. Congress did just that by setting the 35 mpg standard.

Those were distinctions lost in the comity of the moment. Asked whether the bill-signing ceremony signaled the first of many, Reid spokesman Jim Manley said, "Hope springs eternal."

Let's hope the two sides can bring their heads together and make more progress in the next year, assuming King George II doesn't "lose his faculty" anymore than he already has. S

The purpose of this blog...

...is to represent an environmental chronicle of sorts --- an ongoing report card on the status of our national and planet-wide ecology --- and discussion of what our political landscape brings to bear on it. Together we can help affect change!!!

I might occasionally noodle into other topics that keep me amused, such as music and a little sports commentary, just to mix things up a bit.

Be sure to keep visiting the p-patch to see what kind of new shtick is growing. The best garden parties are here! ...FYI it's pronounced "pee-patch" (not trying to encourage indecent exposure in the garden either, so keep your pants zipped please)

A polar bear's plea...

"Hey human dummies! When you screw me out of my homeland, you screw yourself!" Wow! I didn't know a polar bear could talk --- but I hear what he's saying --- do you?

It's so darn oooooooold around here!!! Where's Rip Van Winkle?

The "superintendents of the desert" silently rule in God's country...

...the mighty saguaros reach for the heavens - and echo the timeless heritage of Arizona.

Ahhh, it's the spidery Ocotillo cactus...

...my favorite desert plant... another survivor, and its floral blooms in springtime are amazing... uh, I hope the biker doesn't wipe out. That would hurt.

Birdy!!!

An Arizona Cardinal taking advantage of some leisure time (when it's not getting checked midfield by an angry Seahawk). Is Zorn in the room?

The Oregon Coast

Some of the most amazing views and rugged coastline on the planet. Proves that Mother Nature is the greatest artist - hands down.

another "lunatic fringe frightener," a p-patch scarecrow.

I've gotta get me one of these! This garden party probably rocks, and it looks like a bit of a freak show, like something left over from a Sun Ra concert. My kind of folk.

Hints on how to behave in the p-patch - a loose "civility policy" if you will...

Say what you mean, and mean what you say, but don't be mean when you say it. If you're one of those p-patch bullies, then we'll turn the hose on you.

This site is intended for constructive dialogue and expression of views - let's keep it that way and have some fun!

Personal attacks are totally unnecessary, and those doing so in the garden may trip over a sprinkler hose, step on a rake, or even get a shovel thrown at them (but hey, I didn't do it).

SWEVA'S P-PATCH is a blog. If you're new to this sort of forum, I'd advise you to read some postings and walk around the garden a bit before posting any comments. That way you'll have more fun at the garden party!

so Sweva, I still don't get it. What in the heck's a "p-patch?"

A p-patch is a small community garden. The ones I'm familiar with are in Seattle, and from what I can tell managed in a coordinated effort between the city and residents since they legally belong to the public. The city actually has a job dedicated specifically to the p-patch program, "Community Garden Liaison." While they may be on private property, they are sanctioned and protected through easements and cannot be wrecked by a said property owner - even if they're blocking street access from garages. Many of the p-patches are nearly microscopic in size and tucked into odd little corners around town. I'll try to find a link that has more insights and see how the program got started.